I’m pretty confident that most of us have felt down in the dumps

before. Sadness is a normal emotional state of pain, characterized

by feelings of loss, despair, grief, and disappointment.

These feelings are distinct from depression, which is a mood state

characterized primarily by apathy and anhedonia. Sadness is often
a component of depression, but you can be sad and still enjoy life.
With depression, there’s a loss of interest and pleasure from activities
that were once enjoyed.

People with depression may have wonderful lives — they would

even admit this is true — and yet they still feel horrible. It makes
everything less enjoyable, less interesting, and less important; it saps
energy, it saps motivation, and it saps the ability to experience joy.

This isn’t to say depression is abnormal. Having a depressed mood is

a normal reaction to tragic life events like losing a loved one, but
only when temporary. If depression persists for weeks, then it’s
considered a clinical mood disorder, which are psychiatric
conditions that cause notable distress in your daily life or impair your
ability to function.

And believe it or not, depression is, by far, the most common

psychiatric conditions in the world, afflicting roughly 1 in 4 adults [1].
It’s also one of the most impactful, coming in as the second leading
cause of disability in young and middle-aged adults, second only to
low back and neck pain [2].

While there are a variety of antidepressant medications available,

these often come with a host of nasty side effects that can actually
contribute to worse depression by virtue of how they affect your life.
In this article, we’re going to discuss some far more safe and
effective natural remedies to lift your spirit and restore your hope.

Lifestyle Interventions
To start off our list, we need to look at our lifestyle. While modernity
has blessed us with numerous technological and medical advances,
it has also led to a range of lifestyle issues that take a toll on our
mental health.

People today are more sedentary, chronically stressed, spend more

time indoors, and don’t sleep well. All of these factors have been
linked to depression and deserve first-line consideration for improving
psychological health and mental wellbeing [3,4]. So, that’s what we
are going to focus on first, what we consider to be the four pillars of
lifestyle for good mental health:

● Regular sun exposure

● Quality sleep
● Exercise
● Stress management

Sunlight

First and foremost, if you are looking for a supplement to help with
depression, then you should start your shopping experience outside
under the sun. Through impacting our circadian rhythms and blasting
our body with bioactive light, sunlight is truly medicinal when it
comes to mental health and especially depression.
Throughout evolutionary history, we awoke to the sun. Depending on
the season, we may have gotten up a little before or after sunrise,
but the sun was pretty much always there to brighten our days. Yet,
modernity has made us transition from a people of the sun to a
people of the cubicle.

If we would simply add some natural light back into people’s lives,
maybe this pandemic of depression wouldn’t exist. Consider this:
simply working in an office building with windows increases physical
and mental health, vitality, and sleep quality compared to working
in a windowless prison [5].

And this isn’t the only study showing benefits — several other
interventions that increase the amount of natural sunlight into
people’s lives have shown it improves mood and reduces stress [6–8].
Hell, even using artificial lighting that is designed to mimic an open
blue sky on a sunny day leads to improvements [9]:

● A notably higher sense of connectedness to nature

● Higher parasympathetic tone (rest and regenerate)
 ● Lower sympathetic tone (stress response)
● Similar work performance with a lower perceived effort
● Greater melatonin secretion later on at night

One little known fact about depression is that many depressive bouts
are related to changes in seasonality — roughly 1 in 4 people with
bipolar disorder have seasonal depression that is worse in the winter
[10], and even people with chronic depression experience a bump
in symptoms during the winter [11].

This type of seasonal depression is called seasonal affective disorder

(SAD) and it’s believed to come about from changes in brain
chemistry that result from a lack of sunlight. At a population level,
clinical and subclinical SAD affects roughly 1 in 5 people living at
latitudes around New York but only 4 in 100 people living in sunny
Florida [12].
And that’s a huge problem because depression, whether
intermittent or chronic, can be a tremendous risk to the individual
due to its perpetuation of suicidal thoughts [13]. In non-equitorial
countries, Google searches for depression peak in the winter [14],
and suicide rates are highest around the end of winter and
beginning of Spring [15]. In both cases, these patterns aren’t
observed in areas around the equator where the sun always shines.

Unsurprisingly, SAD is treated by mimicking the sun. It’s literally the

condition that launched the entire bright light-box industry, since
hitting yourself with at least 10,000 lux of white light in the morning is
an established way to prevent the development of SAD [16]. But
even in chronic, non-seasonal depression, meta-analyses have
shown that bright light therapy reliably improves depressive
symptoms [17–19].

And that’s just bright light. The sun also puts out UV radiation that
itself has shown to have antidepressant effects [20,21], likely through
stimulating vitamin D synthesis.
Several studies have reported that vitamin D deficiency is related to
more severe depression in those with clinical depression [22–24],
particularly an inability to feel pleasure [23], and a meta-analysis of
interventions reported that vitamin D supplementation significantly
improved depressive symptoms [25]. Sunlight is likely to accomplish
the same thing.

Plus, in both humans and animal models, depression is linked to

mitochondrial deficits and inflammation within the brain that can be
resolved with the use of infrared light therapy [26]. At least one pilot
study has shown that hitting the forehead with infrared light puts
some individual’s depression into remission, with an overall reduction
in depressive symptoms of 54% [27].
Guess what the largest natural source of infrared radiation is? Yep,
sunlight. About 30% of the light put out by the sun is infrared
radiation.

Through facilitating changes in brain chemistry and function, sunlight

directly battles depression.

Regular sun exposure can be considered central to

the treatment of depression through synthesizing
vitamin D, providing an ambient source of bright
light, and correcting brain deficits in mitochondrial
function with infrared light.

Sleep
Coming off the heels of getting ample sun exposure during the day,
we need to talk about getting ample quality sleep during the night
— our second lifestyle pillar for good mental health.

The American Academy of Sleep Medicine and the Sleep Research

Society agree that getting too little sleep is really bad for health [28].
They agree that getting less than 7–8 hours of sleep per night is linked
to worse:

● Cardiovascular health
● Metabolic health
● Mental health
● Immune function
● Physical performance
● Pain
● Risk of dying

Roughly 3 out of 4 adults with depression have symptoms of insomnia

and sleep disturbances are a predictor for one’s treatment success,
including their risk of relapse and depressive recurrence [29]. In a
meta-analysis of 21 studies, individuals with insomnia had a 2- to
3.5-fold greater risk of developing depression [30].

The sleep-depression cycle is rather straight-forward and

self-perpetuation. Poor quality sleep causes fatigue and difficulty
coping with daily life, which can reduce self-esteem and increase
feelings of worry and stress in susceptible individuals, which can feed
back into reducing sleep quality. Then the cycle repeats.
While there are many aspects of getting a good night’s rest, the
most important is minimizing artificial light at night. Blue and green
light tell the body that it’s daytime, so exposure to artificial lighting at
night absolutely wrecks our circadian system. Thankfully, the solution
is relatively simple: block it!

Wearing amber glasses has been shown to help maintain sleep

quality in people exposed to light at night [31]. It’s even been shown
to help insomniacs sleep [32]! Can you imagine having insomnia and
experiencing a 16–20% improvement in sleep quality, distress caused
from poor sleep, and quality of life from just wearing some goggles
for 2 hours before bed?

One particularly relevant study had college students play on their

smartphone for an hour while lying in bed before going to sleep [33].
They fell asleep roughly 25% faster when they wore amber glasses
that filtered out most of the blue light compared to when they didn’t
wear any light-filtering glasses.

The mental health and sleep benefits of minimizing artificial light at

night have such a strong foundation of evidence that there is
currently an intervention being conducted in hospitalized psychiatric
patients looking at the health effects of eliminating blue light from
the psych ward lighting system between 6:30 p.m. and 7:00 a.m [34].

Getting a good night’s rest is a critical component of

mental health. There’s a clear link between poor
quality sleep and the risk of depression, so focusing
on optimizing sleep hygiene should be prioritized.
One of the easiest ways to do this is to simply block
out artificial light at night, which inappropriately
signals daytime to the brain.
 Exercise

Our third lifestyle pillar for good mental health is exercise. Generally
speaking, the health consequences of sedentariness and health
benefits of exercise need no introduction. Suffice to say, they play
out when it comes to mental health too.

Dedicated exercise and being more leisurely active interacts with

our brains in numerous ways to help balance mood and make us
feel good [35]:

● Reduce neuroinflammation and oxidative stress [36].

● Increase brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) [37].
● Enhance neurogenesis [38].
● Increase serotonin signaling [39].
● Increase beta-endorphins [40].
● Balance the neuroendocrine axis and normalize cortisol [41].
Aside from exercise providing marked beneficial effects on
neuroendocrine systems, it also increases self-efficacy and
self-esteem (via activity scheduling and attainment of goals) which
are important psychological issues among people who are
depressed [42].

From a practical standpoint, at least 8 separate meta-analyses of

randomized controlled trials have reported that both aerobic and
resistance exercise effectively reduce depression in children, adults,
and older adults [43].

For example, the most recent meta-analysis looking at aerobic

exercise exclusively, which involved 11 randomized controlled trials,
found that just 45 minutes of exercise 3 days per week substantially
reduces depression after 2–3 months [44]. In fact, the effect of
exercise was superior to that of antidepressant drugs and
psychological counseling.

As another example, the most recent meta-analysis looking at

resistance training exclusively, which involved 33 randomized
controlled trials, found that regular training reduced depressive
symptoms regardless of the total training volume, that 1 person
would benefit for every 4 that participated, and that you were more
likely to benefit the more depressed you were to begin with [45].

Now, if you had to choose between aerobic exercise and resistance

training, then your best bet is to go with what you enjoy. While
resistance training does have a small benefit over aerobics, it’s not
enough to really push in that direction if you would much rather go
for a run or do the stair-stepper.

And if you simply don’t want to do any type of formal exercise, then
don’t worry, we have plenty of evidence indicating that even low
levels of regular and consistent activity — like walking or gardening
— can help raise your spirits and prevent depression [46].

Exercise, whether it be aerobic exercise or

resistance training, is one of the best things you can
do for your brain and mood state, being even more
effective than antidepressant drugs and
psychological therapies.
 Stress Management

Our fourth and final lifestyle pillar of mental health is stress

management. We all get stressed out in life — it’s a normal part of
existing! But chronic stress is an artifact of modernity.

From an evolutionary perspective, chronic stress didn’t exist. If you

were being chased by a lion, you either died or survived, and the
stress response came and went. Today, we get stressed by countless
artifacts of the modern world, like work overload, financial troubles,
and social embarrassment.

And this chronic stress seriously messes with our mental wellbeing, to
the extent that some researchers have proposed certain subtypes of
depression be called stress-induced depression [47]. This was evident
when researchers from King College London followed over 1,000
individuals from the time they were 3 years old up until they were 26
— greater stress through childhood and young adult life was
significantly associated with a greater likelihood of experiencing
depression [48].

One reason for the stress-depression link is due to how stress affects
neurotransmitter signaling in the brain, particularly that of serotonin.
Serotonin is a tiny molecule with a big job: regulating brain
development and function, sleep, appetite, mood, memory,
aggression, and digestion. It’s been implicated in practically every
type of behavior.

Normal, temporary stress causes increases in serotonin levels that

help us cope with the event — it’s a form of adaptation. Chronic
stress completely screws up this system.

With serotonin, the receptors that it needs to bind with in order to

have an effect start to take a break from work, with less and less
showing up when serotonin calls [49]. The result is that less serotonin is
able to transmit its signal, regardless of how much you have.

Another way to look at this is that serotonin is the worker and its
receptor is the machine needed to work. You can have hundreds of
workers show up at the factory, but that doesn’t matter if only 10
machines are available to work with — 90 of the workers may as well
not be there.

These concepts are easily

illustrated in a study by
researchers from the
Weizmann Institute of Science
in Israel, who looked at how
much serotonin was taken up
by cells in response to an
infusion of cortisol in both
healthy folk and people
under chronic stress [50]. The
normal increase in serotonin
uptake caused by cortisol
was completely abolished in people under chronic stress.

What all this means is that being chronically stressed will leave your
body and brain deprived of serotonin due to its natural response of
down-regulating serotonin receptors to prevent overstimulation.
And it’s not just serotonin that’s affected. People who report higher
levels of burnout at work have 15–25% lower concentrations of
several neurotransmitters compared to their less stressed peers [51].

Thankfully, stress reduction techniques like mindfulness meditation

are incredibly effective at treating depression. Meditation isn’t
mainstream and probably conjures up images of Buddhist monks for
most people. But it serves as a good opportunity to mindfully
introspect about what troubles us and help us work through our
stress.

A huge analysis of 47 studies with over 3,500 people clearly showed

that mindfulness meditation programs reduce levels of anxiety,
depression, pain, and stress while increasing mental health-related
quality of life [52]. These benefits were seen in as little as three to four
1-hour sessions over 8 weeks.
Mindfulness may even be able to replace pharmaceutical
antidepressants. The PREVENT trial showed that, over a 2-year period,
mindfulness cognitive behavioral therapy led to similar rates of
relapse and remission as standard drug therapies in those with
depression [53].

It makes sense, really: If you have unproductive worries, you can train
yourself to experience those thoughts differently. Mindfulness
meditation teaches you to recognize your stressful thoughts and
reframe them in a positive manner.

Chronic stress drains the brain of neurotransmitters,

particularly serotonin, and predisposes us to
depression. Engaging in healthy stress management
techniques, like mindfulness meditation, can go a
long way towards improving mental health, possibly
rivaling the effects of antidepressants.

Supplements
With our lifestyle pillars in place, let’s turn our attention to
supplements. There are several natural compounds that have been
shown to have amazing benefits for those dealing with depression --
several of these compounds have even been shown to have as
strong of an impact as antidepressant drugs (and without the side
effects)!

Saffron
Saffron is a medicinal and
culinary spice that has been
traded and used throughout
Eurasia for thousands of years.
It’s a mainstay of Middle
Eastern cuisine and currently
the most expensive spice in the world.

Ancient Persians used saffron to treat a variety of ailments, including

depression. Modern research has since supported this use, with
studies indicating that saffron has a variety of antidepressant actions
in the brain [54,55]:

● Increases serotonin signaling

● Antioxidant
● Reduces neuroinflammation
● Neuroprotective

Numerous meta-analyses of clinical trials have reported that 30

mg/d of saffron has a potency comparable to routinely prescribed
antidepressant drugs but with less side effects in individuals with
mild-to-moderate depression [56–59].

To illustrate this point, let’s look at the largest of these meta-analyses,

which included 11 randomized controlled trials comparing saffron to
either placebo or antidepressant medication in individuals with
mild-to-moderate depression [56]. Saffron reduced levels of
depression by an average of 52%, which was comparable to
standard drug therapies.
 Saffron is a potent antidepressant herb, able to cut
depression in half and rival pharmaceutical drugs
through increasing serotonin signaling and protecting
the brain from inflammation and oxidative stress.

Rhodiola
Rosea
Rhodiola is a medicinal herb
traditionally used for
enhancing mental
performance and resilience to
stress [60], effects that are due to the numerous ways rhodiola
interacts with genes, signaling pathways, and molecular networks
within neuronal cells to alter emotional behavior [61].

Specifically, rhodiola acts within the brain as a neuroprotective,

cognitive enhancing, and mood stabilizing agent through reducing
neuronal cell death and promoting regeneration, functioning as an
antioxidant and anti-inflammatory, facilitating neurotransmission,
and regulating several key mediators of the stress response within the
hypothalamic-pituitary axis [62–64].

One of the ways these effects manifest is by reducing depression. For

example, in adults with mild to moderate depression, 340 mg/d of
rhodiola cut depression by a third after just 7 weeks [65].
In another study, combining 310 mg/d of rhodiola with 30 mg/d of
saffron reduced depressive symptoms by 60% after 6 weeks, causing
70% of the participants to no longer suffer from clinical depression
[66].

Rhodiola rosea is an adaptogen best-known for its

ability to increase stress resilience by interacting with
genes, signaling pathways, and molecular networks
 within neuronal cells to alter emotional behavior.
These effects have also lent it potent antidepressant
effects, particularly when combined with saffron.

Uridine Monophosphate
Uridine is one of the five standard
nucleosides that make up the
nucleic acids of genetic material
(DNA and RNA). It is known to pass
the blood-brain barrier [67], and is
involved in several neurologically
critical functions [68]:

● Required for the synthesis of

brain phospholipids [69], and
supplementation increases
concentrations of phospholipid
precursors in the brains of healthy
adults [70].

● Plays a role in the formation of brain synapses that are required

for learning and communications [71,72].

● Induces nerve growth and differentiation [73,74].

While research on uridine’s antidepressant effects is preliminary, it is
promising. In a study of bipolar adolescents suffering from
depression, supplementation with 1000 mg/d of uridine was
associated with a 58% reduction in depression after just 6 weeks [75].

Uridine is a necessary component of brain

phospholipid synthesis, synapse formation, and nerve
growth, with preliminary research suggesting it is able
to drastically reduce depression in as little as one
week.
 Agmatine sulfate
Agmatine is a neurotransmitter and neuromodulator (affects
neurotransmission of entire neurons) that has anti-seizure, anti-pain,
anti-anxiety, and antidepressant effects; modulates some of the
processes involved in learning and memory; and interacts with the
mechanisms of drug withdrawal [76].

In particular, agmatine has several unique biological effects within

the brain that can help it fend off depression:

● Blocks the NMDA (N-methyl-D-aspartate) receptor and

prevents excitotoxicity [77].

● Activates imidazoline receptors that increase beta-endorphin

secretion [78].

● Activates the Nrf2 (nuclear factor E2-related factor 2) pathway

that increases the production of antioxidant enzymes [79,80].

● Protects mitochondria from oxidative stress and cell death

[81,82].

Collectively, the effects of agmatine have given it a high

therapeutic value for treating neurological disorders and preventing
neurodegeneration [83,84]. Unfortunately, human clinical trials
haven’t caught up to its vast potential.
For example, an analysis of the postmortem brains of individuals who
committed suicide found that agmatine concentrations were
30–40% lower than in non-suicidal individuals in all three tested brain
regions [85].

Yet, to date, only one study exists looking at how agmatine

supplementation impacts depression. In this pilot study of two men
and one woman with clinical depression and currently in the grip of
a major depressive disorder episode, supplementing 2–3 g/d of
agmatine for 3–4 weeks “showed total/incontrovertible remission of
depression” [86].

To put this in perspective, a score of 18 or higher on the Hamilton

scale indicates severe depression, and these participants went from
a score of 32 at the beginning of the study to a score of 3 within a
month!
These effects persisted even when given a drug that completely
blocked serotonin signaling, which should have caused depressive
relapse. The patients were so amazed that they refused to stop
taking agmatine when the intervention ended, especially in light of
the fact that their depressive episodes would historically last for
months with antidepressant drugs and for up to a year without.

While preliminary, these findings are almost unbelievable and

definitely make agmatine something to consider for fighting
depression.

Agmatine is a neurotransmitter and neuromodulator

that affects numerous processes in the brain to
produce nearly unbelievable antidepressant effects.
Research on this compound is incredibly preliminary
but highly promising.
 EPA & DHA
Most of you are probably familiar with
the two classes of polyunsaturated fatty
acids (PUFAs), omega-3 and omega-6,
which each encompass several fatty
acids that play a unique role in our
immune system.

● Omega-3 fatty acids include

alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), and
docosahexaenoic acid (DHA).

● Omega-6 fatty acids include linoleic acid and arachidonic

acid.

While a bit over simplistic, the omega-3 fatty acids support

anti-inflammatory processes in the body by creating resolvins and
protectins, while the omega-6 fatty acids support inflammatory
processes within the body by creating prostaglandins and
leukotrienes.
Nutritionally, the long-chain omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids are
what matter, as these are the precursors to important signaling
molecules in the immune system. When it comes to the omega-3
fatty acids, it’s all the more important to obtain preformed EPA and
DHA in the diet because ALA is not efficiently converted into them.

Studies of ALA metabolism in healthy young men indicate that

approximately 8% of dietary ALA is converted to EPA and less than
4% is converted to DHA, with the values increasing to 21% and 9% in
women thanks to the effects of estrogen [92]. So, plant-based
omega-3 fatty acid sources, which contain only ALA, aren’t a
reliable source of EPA and DHA.
The entire reason EPA and DHA have been investigated for their role
in depression is because depression has a strong inflammatory
component. Quite a few randomized controlled trials have been
conducted looking at fish oil supplementation as a treatment for
major depressive disorder, and meta-analyses of these studies
reported that supplementing with 1–6 grams of EPA and DHA does
appear to have a significant benefit, especially with higher EPA
doses and when used alongside antidepressants [93,94].

However, meta-analyses can’t account for every little detail and it

has been argued that fish oil really only benefits depressed people
who have an insufficient EPA and DHA intake in their diet [95].
Granted, most people in the Western world don’t consume a lot of
seafood that would supply the EPA or DHA, and all it really takes is a
little salmon or sardines on a regular basis.

EPA and DHA are long-chained omega-3 fatty acids

found naturally in seafood that are required for
proper anti-inflammatory signaling. Supplementation,
particularly with EPA, has been shown to reduce
depression, but likely only in those with a low
baseline intake of fatty fish and seafood that supplies
the EPA and DHA being supplemented.
 Lion’s Mane
Lion’s mane mushroom (also called Yamabushitake or Hericium
erinaceus) is a medicinal mushroom that has been extensively
studied for its neurohealth properties [96]. Research has shown that
lion’s mane:

● Stimulates the production of Nerve Growth Factor (NGF) [97],

which promotes neuronal growth, development, and
regeneration [98].

● Restores levels of key neurotransmitters serotonin,

noradrenaline, and dopamine in the brain (that are often
suppressed due to chronic stress) [99].

● Reduces neuroinflammation [100].

● Stimulates the expression of brain derived neurotrophic factor

(BDNF), which plays a role in neuronal development, and helps
in the formation of neuronal connections important for memory
and cognition [101].

Studies in mice have demonstrated that these effects ultimately lend

lion’s mane cognitive-enhancing [102], neuroprotective [103], and
mood-stabilizing properties [104].

In men with mild cognitive impairment, 3000 mg per day improved

cognitive function by 12% over 16 weeks compared to placebo
[105]. In overweight and obese adults, 1500 mg per day for 8 weeks
reduced feelings of anxiety by 27% and feelings of depression by
39% [106].

Acetyl-L-Carnitine
Our mitochondria cannot make energy out of nothing, and our
body uses intricate transport systems to get raw materials inside of
them to be used for energy production. One of those transport
systems is called the carnitine shuttle system, which is essential for
bringing fatty acids inside mitochondria, where they can be used to
produce energy.

If you don’t have enough carnitine, you won’t be burning fat and
your mitochondria are going to have one hell of a time making
energy. Even if everything else about them is functioning optimally, a
lack of carnitine will cause your mitochondria to act as if they are
damaged and dysfunctional.

While complete carnitine deficiencies cause a host of nasty effects

like liver and brain damage, weakness, and lethargy [107], even mild
subclinical insufficiencies can cause problems. For example, a
systematic review of 25 studies investigating the relationship
between mitochondrial function and fatigue reported that carnitine
deficits were one of the most common biomarkers linked to fatigue
status [108].

Acetyl-L-Carnitine (ALCAR) is a special form of carnitine that hits two

birds with one stone — it supplies the carnitine your mitochondria
need to produce energy, and it provides an acetyl moiety that the
mitochondria use to remain youthful and healthy.

Over 20% of mitochondrial proteins are reliant on these acetyl

moieties to function properly, including those involved in antioxidant
defenses and energy production [109]. In fact, one of the key
changes in physiology associated with longevity is an increased
acetylation of mitochondrial proteins [110].

For these reasons, some researchers have proposed that ALCAR

should be considered a “mitochondrial rejuvenator” [111]. By virtue
of increasing acetyl-CoA levels within mitochondria, ALCAR
effectively increases antioxidant status, increases protein and
membrane stability, enhances mitochondrial biogenesis, and
reduces cell death.
To illustrate these benefits, one study on chronically fatigued older
adults found that taking 4 grams of ALCAR daily over six months led
to profound benefits to their wellbeing, including a 15% increase in
cognitive function, 24% increase in physical function, and close to a
whopping 50% reduction in mental fatigue, physical fatigue, and
overall fatigue severity [112].

Through increasing mitochondrial acetylation and carnitine levels

within the brain, ALCAR supplementation affects several parameters
of brain health too:

● Improves mitochondrial function within brain cells.

● Increases acetylcholine signaling and improves learning
capacity.
● Increases brain energy availability.
 ● Protects against β-amyloid neurotoxicity and reduces oxidative
stress.
Accordingly, ALCAR can be a powerful ally in the fight against
neurodegeneration and cognitive decline with aging (Pennisi et al.
2020). For example, a meta-analysis of 21 randomized, double-blind,
placebo-controlled trials reported that 1.5–3 g/d of ALCAR
significantly improved cognitive function assessed by a variety of
methods in older adults with mild cognitive impairment or early
Alzheimer’s disease [113].

It can also be a powerful ally against mood disorders like depression,

with one meta-analysis of 12 randomized controlled trials showing
that ALCAR significantly reduced depressive symptoms with an
efficacy similar to antidepressant medications but with less
side-effects [114]!

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